Elixir grounds entire fleet while BEA probes in-flight flap separation

Elixir Aircraft has grounded its fleet of about 60 two-seat aircraft while French investigators look into why a wing flap separated from one of the planes before it crashed, killing two company pilots.

The Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety said the left flap came off as the aircraft turned onto final approach to Runway 12 at Rochefort-Charente-Maritime Airport on 1 October 2026. The BEA identified the aircraft as F-WZAG, serial number 065.

The crew lost control after the flap detached. The emergency parachute deployed at low height and the aircraft struck the ground.

The flight was a production test sortie that started at La Rochelle. According to the BEA, the crew flew two circuits at Rochefort before one of the pilots requested a low-altitude circuit; the flap separated during the closing turn of that circuit.

In an 8 October update, Elixir said investigators have not yet established the cause of the separation and that the manufacturer is still assisting the BEA. On 2 October the company issued an alert service bulletin ordering all affected aircraft to remain on the ground from the next day until further notice, a precaution it said covered roughly 60 aircraft in five countries.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency issued an emergency airworthiness directive on 2 October, effective the following day, covering every Elixir aircraft regardless of serial number and prohibiting flight. EASA said more measures might be needed before the type can return to safe operation, calling the grounding an interim step while the investigation continues.

Elixir, based in La Rochelle, builds composite light aircraft for training and private use. The design was certified by EASA in 2020.